Kapitel 254: Chapter 254
The next morning, the Marines besieging the Divine Kingdom began their operation.
A large number of Marine officers, clad in justice capes, landed on the soil of the Divine Kingdom, each of their faces shadowed with gloom.
Bearing the name of justice yet performing such cruel acts — every time it came to this, their hearts were filled with torment.
But no matter how unwilling they were, they had to obey their superiors' orders and serve the nobles of the world, clearing...
All obstacles in their way!
Led by Gin, the citizens of the Divine Kingdom would certainly not sit still and wait for death. They had long been prepared and took up weapons to resist, defending their homeland against foreign invaders.
Those who firmly believed in Aqua didn't care whether it was the Marines, the World Government, or anything else — anyone who coveted the Divine Kingdom was an enemy that needed to be eradicated!
Merciless artillery fire shattered the peace and harmony of the Divine Kingdom's port.
Thick smoke filled the air, as the curtain opened on this dark war.
...
By the time the ships carrying the Celestial Dragons reached East Blue, the largest town in the Divine Kingdom had already been captured.
Although Gin and the others had gained strength from their faith, how could they stand a chance against the Marine headquarters' elite?
Countless buildings collapsed, and all the combatants who attempted to resist were captured.
"Why? Why is this happening? The Divine Kingdom has never done evil. We've captured and reformed every pirate that passed through — why is headquarters attacking us?"
"Is it simply because this country isn't a member of the World Government?!"
The commander of the Marine base stationed in the Divine Kingdom stood in a pool of blood, roaring in rage at his "comrades" who approached.
Blood dyed the white justice cape behind him as he looked at the once-prosperous street now submerged in endless artillery fire. This iron-willed man was on the verge of collapse.
Having already integrated and recognized the Divine Kingdom, he couldn't, for the life of him, understand what had happened.
"I'm sorry, I cannot answer your question."
The headquarters officer leading the team to clear the way for the Celestial Dragons spoke with a dark expression, his voice trembling slightly as he urged, "This is an order. Please don't make any futile resistance."
Upon hearing this, the base commander fell silent.
After an intense inner struggle, he finally raised his hands slowly.
And tore off the justice cape from his shoulders.
The base commander, his bloodied mouth curling into a striking smile, drew his sword with force.
"To hell with your orders!"
"From the beginning to the end, the only order I've received is this..."
"To protect the innocent people of this country!!!"
Clang.
A cold flash of a blade suddenly cut across, slicing the commander in half at the waist.
The roar stopped abruptly.
"A guard dog should stay quiet, just like this."
Red hair swayed, and the specially made knight's robe hung with dazzling gold ornaments.
This person was the Celestial Dragons' elite, the second-in-command of the Holy Knights, Vegaland Gairis, from the same family as Galing!
Behind him, under the protection of the Marine headquarters, the Celestial Dragons arrived one after another, stepping onto the soil of the Divine Kingdom.
"Ahh! How handsome, Gairis~"
"As expected of the pride of the Holy Knights, please give me an autograph~"
The female Celestial Dragons, their heads adorned with bubbles, cheered excitedly.
"Starting to warm up even before the event starts, that's sly of you, Gairis."
One of the contenders in this grand competition teased.
No one paid any attention to the Marine commander lying dead in a pool of blood. Some Celestial Dragons even looked disgusted, urging Zephyr to quickly clean up the dirty road.
Zephyr, the so-called "non-killing Admiral," looked at the fallen, battle-hardened commander with red eyes, his fists clenched at his sides, bleeding.
"Remember your mission on this trip, Admiral of the headquarters."
The deep voice brought Zephyr, who was on the verge of losing control, back to some semblance of calm.
Vegaland Garing approached, his gaze cold.
"We understand."
Sengoku stepped forward, giving orders to the surrounding Marines.
A murky fog, whose source was unclear, had already clouded the glasses on his face.
It was impossible to see what kind of expression lay beneath.
Thus, under the support of Marines on either side, the Celestial Dragons' group ascended the lavishly built platform in the center of the town.
The residents of the Divine Kingdom, hiding in alleys and buildings, watched this group of devils about to bring slaughter, their faces filled with fear.
After a brief preparation, the host stepped onto the platform and announced the rules of the event.
"Honored guests, the rules of this carnival are much the same as before."
"To ensure your enjoyment, we will release hundreds of slaves into this country."
"Among them are twenty slaves worth ten thousand points each, one hundred slaves worth five hundred points each, as well as some slaves and natives with special point values."
At this point, the host excitedly stepped aside to reveal several treasure chests placed neatly behind him.
"The one with the highest score will not only receive an honorary title but also these rich rewards. If you're lucky, you might even find the most powerful Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit!"
"A country that dares to call itself 'Divine' should be completely eradicated, so please, don't hold back!"
"The carnival will officially begin one hour after the prey are released, so enjoy this hunt to the fullest!"
The host's words brought loud cheers from all the participating Celestial Dragons, with some even starting to imitate Gairis's "warm-up."
The sound of cold gunfire caused countless onlookers to flee in panic.
At the same time, the World Government released the prepared slaves, opening their cages and allowing them to roam freely across the island.
Seeing a chance at life, the long-oppressed slaves fled in all directions, desperate to seize their one opportunity for survival.
—The World Government personnel had told them that if they survived for two weeks, they would be freed from slavery and granted freedom!
These poor souls might not have realized that the survival rate for "prey" in every Celestial Dragons extermination event had always been the same — 0!
Hope was nothing more than another sadistic pleasure for these filthy nobles.
In the midst of such oppressive silence and murderous tension, an hour quietly slipped away.
Unable to suppress their excitement any longer, the Celestial Dragons laughed wildly as they began their indiscriminate slaughter across the Divine Kingdom.
Chaos erupted throughout the Divine Kingdom, filled with flames of war, fear, screams of agony, and maniacal laughter.
Meanwhile, high above the island, hidden deep within the clouds.
A Marine warship from Impel Down hovered in the cold wind in an eerie position.
On the spacious deck, a few pirates in prison uniforms stood scattered about.
They looked strange, varying in height and size, but the aura they emitted was unanimously fierce, brutal, and reeked of blood.
If any Marine personnel had appeared here, they would have been scared out of their wits.
Because the people before them were all notorious pirates from the New World, each a well-known figure!
"Hey! Old man, the Celestial Dragons have started their move. When are we making ours?"
The ugly-looking man held a jug of wine, his face drunken and hazy.
He was Vasco Shot, known as the "Great Drunk."
Behind him were familiar faces like the gigantic battleship San Juan Wolf, the corrupt king Avalo Pizarro, and several unfamiliar characters who did not appear in the original work.
Watching the chaos below, all the pirates eagerly prepared themselves, coveting the rumored Devil Fruit.
And this was the real reason they had followed Shiki and Bullet to this place!
"Don't be hasty, the protagonist hasn't appeared yet."
The Golden Lion Shiki, who had lost both legs, floated in the air, his somber face flashing a sinister expression.
"Are you sure the 'Evil Thunder' Zyhark will show up?"
Barrett, his entire body bursting with muscles, asked, clearly not very patient.
"Don't worry. Although it was only a brief clash, I understand that kid's temperament very well."
Golden Lion leisurely took a sip of wine, his gaze profound as he looked at the battlefield below. "He will definitely come!"
Even protecting those unrelated people from Skypiea, he was convinced that Zyhark wouldn't sit by and do nothing when it came to his own country's people.
And by then, it would be the best time for them to appear and seize the treasure!
...
In the depths of the town streets of the Divine Kingdom.
"These damned bastards!"
Gin leaned against a wall with difficulty, his right arm hanging by his side, blood continuously dripping down.
The moment he confronted them at the port, a Marine officer had crippled his arm, leaving him severely injured!
He had barely managed to keep his life thanks to his indomitable will.
Witnessing the brutal extermination event announced by the Celestial Dragons, Gin finally realized just how trivial his own past sins were.
Compared to these pirates who burned, killed, and looted, these were the real demons!!
A pirate might take a lifetime to wash away their sins, but what about these so-called "righteous" people before him?
No one knew because, in this world, the Celestial Dragons were the sole rulers!
"Found you, special point prey."
An icy voice, like the whisper of a demon, resounded above Gin.
Vegaland Gairis stood on the rooftop, his hands in his pockets, the shadow cast by his figure covering Gin's body.
The slowly drawn blade gleamed coldly, bringing with it a deep sense of despair.
Gin's throat moved, and he forcibly swallowed the blood that threatened to gush out.
His only remaining arm gripped his mace tightly, his eyes filled with defiance.
"Come on, you scumbags!!"
A shadow flickered above the rooftop, and in the next moment, Gairis appeared behind Gin, his face expressionless as he swung his sword down.
No hunter would dawdle when hunting prey. In the face of the future leader of the Holy Knights, this person was merely a tool to earn points.
That was all.
The Haki-infused blade was pitch black and sharp. Gin wanted to raise his weapon to block, but the overwhelming pressure from his opponent made his entire body stiff and immobile.
All he could do was watch as the life-stealing blade grew larger in his pupils!
Was this the end?
Maybe it was better this way. After all, I am a man of great sin.
It's just a pity that I couldn't fulfill the promise to meet Zyhark and the others in the New World...
Gin did not close his eyes in despair. Instead, he forced his eyes open, wanting to witness the moment of his death.
BOOM!
At the instant when Gin was about to be cut in half, the sky above the Divine Kingdom suddenly resounded with a rumbling thunder.
A thick lightning bolt struck down from the sky, landing fiercely at the spot where Gairis stood!
After the raging lightning passed, the young man in armor leaped out of the smoke, cautiously and seriously watching the figure in the thick smoke.
"Who are you?"
The lightning strike just now had been extremely swift and precise. If it weren't for his powerful Observation Haki, which allowed him to sense the danger ahead of time and dodge, he would have been wounded.
Zyhark lightly swung his dual blades, scattering the smoke. Ignoring Gairis's question, he turned to look at the heavily injured Gin.
"Sorry, I got a bit delayed on the way, so I arrived a bit late."
Gin's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared blankly at the familiar man who had suddenly appeared.
He had no emotions when facing death, but now, his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.
"Zyhark, they want to slaughter the entire country!" Gin roared lowly, his eyes filled with tears.
After months of living here, he had developed a deep attachment to this country that he had watched grow with his own eyes.
"I know, that's why I came to get you all."
"The injuries on your body are serious. Find a safe place to recover first. As for the rest..."
"I will take care of it!"
After speaking, Zyhark stepped forward and looked at Gairis.
"Oh? So you are the Zyhark they spoke of? Hehe, I didn't expect you to have the courage to appear here."
Back then, the Conqueror's Haki clash in Mariejois had been intense, and Gairis had, of course, heard of Zyhark's name.
Knowing that the other party's strength far surpassed these trash in the Divine Kingdom, he crossed his sword in front of him, a cold smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"Unfortunately, today we are also planning to conduct a slaughter here."
Zyhark's expression remained calm as he added, "A slaughter of the Celestial Dragons."
"Hahaha! With this ridiculous clone of yours?" Gairis laughed loudly, his eyes sharp.
"Your words may be far-fetched, but I can't speak for the others."
"What do you mean?"
Zyhark smiled without saying anything, raising his hand to point at the thunderous sky.
At the same time, terrifying thunderbolts continued to fall across the island, each lightning bolt becoming a lightning clone of Zyhark.
"This feels so good, so good, so good! I never thought participating in an event like this would be so enjoyable! I should have joined years ago!"
A Celestial Dragon was shooting at fleeing slaves and residents. After killing all he could see, he turned his gaze to a wounded woman crouching in the corner.
"Ah~ what lovely eyes, and she's quite pretty too. Men, take her away. I want to make her my thirty-seventh wife."
"Hehehe..."
The Celestial Dragon indulged in his beautiful fantasies, but after waiting a long time, he still didn't see his guards make any movement.
"Hey! Damn you, are you deaf? Can't you hear my orders?!" The Celestial Dragon roared in anger.
Two cigars burned slowly, and the Marine officer responsible for his safety merely smoked in silence in response to his angry rebuke.
"Dear noble, today's weather doesn't seem too good..."
Smoker looked up at the sky above.
Though covered in a thin black cloud, the flashing lightning above lit up the conflicting emotions within him.
"Huh? I don't care if it's—"
The Celestial Dragon wanted to continue shouting, but the thunderbolt that fell suddenly blasted him into dust!
The same scene unfolded repeatedly within the borders of the Divine Kingdom.
Even though each Celestial Dragon had guards, how many could resist the relentless lightning?
And even if they somehow managed to survive, Zyhark's lightning clones would commence merciless slaughter against them!
When the roles of hunter and prey were reversed, these so-called noble beings wet their pants in fear, writhing on the ground like worms.
Just as Zyhark said, this was an extermination of the Celestial Dragons!
(End of Chapter)
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